


Playing Perfect

by littletechiebird



Category: DCU, DCU - Comicverse
Genre: M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2012-03-30
Updated: 2012-03-30
Packaged: 2017-11-02 18:34:43
Rating: Mature
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,244
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/372069
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/littletechiebird/pseuds/littletechiebird
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Fic trade with arturosavinni on tumblr. </p>
<p>At one of the Wayne’s charity functions, Dick sees Tim Wayne in action for the first time.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Playing Perfect

This was another “very important night” for their family. But whenever Bruce was hosting some kind of party, it always was. It was the night that they all put on their best suits, their best smiles, and looked as dazzling as possible. They played the part, just like Bruce always had. He was known to the city as the most attractive and sought after bachelor of Gotham. Beyond that, he was also the city’s most generous man of wealth. There wasn’t a single charity or good cause that hadn’t gotten at least one substantial donation, and most had also gotten a sponsored event like tonight. There had been so many that he had no idea what the cause was this time. He was sure that someone would bring it up in conversation at some point during the night to help him remember. All he really needed to know was to play the usual part, just like dear old Daddy Bats. He was Richard Grayson - a Wayne by every right, even if he hadn’t taken the name during the adoption - and he had just as charming of a smile as any other Wayne.

But speaking of all of them as Waynes, this would be the first time he had been able to attend one that Tim had been able to make as well. They had help monitoring the city this time, the Supers were in town, lying low and ready to help whenever they needed them to so that appearances could be kept here. Vicki Vale had tried jumping on that before, but they’d already taken care of the double appearances - Batman and his birds saving Gotham while each and every Wayne was present. Their friends had been more than eager to help, amused by the idea of getting to wear the uniforms. Tim and Bruce had been bothered by it, but he’d found it funny. Both had claimed they’d never hear the end of it, but he wasn’t concerned. They were letting themselves worry about it too much.

Tonight, though… he’d get to see just how Tim dealt with these functions. He had plenty of faith in the boy, but this seemed like something he’d loathe completely. He’d asked Bruce before if he was doing well with it, but all he had gotten was a smirk and a pat on the shoulder. Needless to say, that was confusing. Just what was that supposed to mean anyway? When trying to get an answer out of Alfred, he’d gotten a chuckle.  _“I’m sure you will see in time, sir.”_

So was he doing badly then? No, he couldn’t really think of Tim as failing at something, except, at times, taking care of himself. That was something he was bad with. But no matter what situation you put him in, he seemed to do well. But then again, he was never fond of playing games for other people. He didn’t like public things. He was a kid who kept to himself, yet had no problem putting himself on hold to go and save the lives of those he kept himself from. The kid was cryptic, and flat out confused Dick daily, but it kept him on his toes.

Running a hand back through his hair brought it to the exact desired style. He straightened his tie and sighed, looking at himself in the mirror. Well, he supposed he looked acceptable, right? 

After a knock on the door, he heard Alfred’s voice. “Sir, are you almost done primping?” Ah, so Alfred had a sense of humor tonight. He grinned and walked to the door, opening it to the sight of the man standing with a little smirk. 

“Yes, Alfred. I’m done getting ready.”

“Wonderful, sir. Will you be joining the rest of the party?”

“Yes. Thank you.”

He couldn’t help but laugh a bit to himself. They always made fun of him for “primping”, ever since he put on the Robin suit for the first time all those years ago. He didn’t mind, really. Not as much as when he was younger. He got so flustered and insisted to the contrary. Now he knew it was at least somewhat true, though he might not have chosen that exact wording.

“Don’t over-do it, Alfred.” He called back, giving the man a wave as he rushed off. He enjoyed making an entrance, but if he took too much longer to get down there, he knew he would be hearing about it later. 

It took him just a couple minutes to navigate the halls of the manor before he was walking to the wide ballroom at the back of the main building. All eyes flashed to the new person walking through the large oak doors, and immediately a bright grin was flashed their way in appeasement. The men smiled politely in return, and some of the women offered their most charming smiles in return while color dusted their cheeks either from light intoxication or in response to pheromones. It was the usual effect, and even some of the men had the response that the women did. That was what happened in response to just his presence. At times, it was absolutely pleasing. Others, it was the last thing he wanted. Right now, he was indifferent. He had a role to play, and so it was time for the show.

But he had no idea that the main event would be someone other than himself. 

A laugh was what caught his attention - light, almost musical, and as attractive as any sound could ever be to his senses. His head snapped in the direction of the enchanting sound, and his eyes were suddenly glued to a scene that made no sense what-so-ever to his mind. It had to be a trick of his mind, didn’t it?

Several feet away, through a gap in the crowd, a young man stood among a large group of their wealthy guests, grinning and so attentive to their young host. His smile had to be worth a million dollars, perfectly white, and heartbreaking. His eyes were just as dangerous, able to steal the broken heart from your very chest. Those deep blues were seducing. He didn’t seem real. He didn’t seem like…  _Tim_.

The boy who was always void of such emotion. The boy who watched himself, and everyone else, so carefully. The little detective that was so much like Bruce. The boy who had been through so much tragedy that it was amazing that his heart came through in one piece. But most of all, the boy who never let anyone in. He was perfect at deception - unless you knew what to look for.

He was well aware that right now was just the perfect display of Tim’s acting skills. This was one of his personas. This was who he was as  _Tim Wayne_. And this was a Tim he had never met before.

That kind of made him sound crazy, actually. But no, it wasn’t as if this was a separate person in his mind that he took on. It was the part to play. Tim had so many sides. The self he had to be as Robin, Tim Drake for his civilian friends, Timothy Drake for his family - before he had lost them. Then there was their Tim. Their little Timmy. The boy who struggled with an awkward smile, but had the most full-blown and innocent one when you least expected it. The kid who was eager to help, due to his big, warm heart. The one who was wary of trusting, but so wanted someone to trust. He was awkward, brilliant, strong, and adorable. 

But out of all of the sides he had seen out of the little brother he so adored, he had never seen anything quite like this. 

It wasn’t that he didn’t believe that Tim was capable of being charming.. but he just didn’t expect it like this. This boy almost looked like a little player. He looked like the perfect entertainer. He had everyone in such good spirits, laughing, carrying on, having a good time.

It was rather easy to tell that he was rather awestruck and was having a hard time with this, wasn’t it?

At first, his awe moved to pride. His little brother was playing the perfect part. He was doing better than any of them ever had. Everyone was pleased with the newest Wayne boy. It was like he had always been a part of their little family, even in the eyes of the public. It was as if he had been raised into this. Except, he hadn’t needed to be.

Next, a bit of jealousy reared its ugly head. The way they were looking at him. Everyone had their eyes on _his_  little brother. And those gazes weren’t a bit leering, weren’t they? What kinds of things were they daring to think? Just what did they think they could get away with? What would they try to get away with? Had they said anything inappropriate? Charity function be damned - if they did anything he would make sure that they knew—

That was when a bit of surprise, mixed with fear, all surfaced in response to these thoughts. It was all in realization of himself and how he was acting. Though, luckily, he was not acting yet - it was just thought after all - but the idea was still there. But he was being just a tad bit overprotective, wasn’t he? He always prided himself in being the protective older brother, but it hadn’t just been that driving his thoughts. 

It had been his  _jealousy_  doing most of the talking inside of his skull.

No, no. That couldn’t rear it’s head now. He didn’t need to worry. Tim was capable of taking care of himself. These people weren’t a threat. Besides, Tim… he wasn’t like that. Having that kind of worry would just demean his adorable little brother. 

Shaking his head, as if to clear all previous thoughts and worries from his mind, he righted himself to the better mindset for the night and put on his most striking smile once more as he moved further into the crowd to help play the part of the Waynes being the perfect hosts.

As he moved from group to group, being sure to leave no one without greeting by himself, his eyes always darted to find Tim. He kept track of his movements throughout the night, catching the smile that stopped his heart within the cavity in his chest. The same smile that made him wish that the night could go just a _little bit faster_  so he could have time with him. They were taking up all of his time..

It was almost as bad as trying to fight Tim for attention when he was on his computer. 

Except right now he wasn’t allowed to fight for that attention, so it was a battle that was already lost.

“So glad to have you here!” 

“Thank you for coming.”

“It’s been so long. Wonderful to see you so well.”

“You look stunning, as always.”

The right words, the kiss to the cheek for the women, the firm handshake for the men, and the friendly expressions. All were the proper pieces to appeasing the guests that came automatically for the role that they played. He listened in on a few of Tim’s greetings and conversations just the same, yet somehow the words that always worked so wonderfully for him, and never had a flaw, somehow they seemed so lacking in luster and had nothing but flaws. He felt like he was off of his game. In reality, it was just the awe of the ability of the younger boy that he had not expected.

The thoughts that came with realizing and analyzing every detail of the younger man’s act could not be pushed aside in his mind. This distraction played out to be a little more obvious than he would have liked.

“Mister Grayson, are you quite alright?”

Inquiries such as that would bring him back to the task at hand. He would take a moment for his eyes to focus back on the people, or person, in front of him before he allowed a more appeasing expression to cross over his face. Now, now, he had to be careful. That was being rude. Some of the people here were of delicate handling. If it were to seem that he was ignoring them, it could cause a little problem at the very least. 

Oh the politics of the wealthy. They were ridiculous.

“I apologize. I guess I’m just a bit tired. I was distracted for a moment. Forgive me.” Turn the charm back on high, and the problems were averted - as long as it didn’t happen again. 

So he was careful. He allowed himself a moment to keep up with Tim during a pause in the conversation, but he was making a conscious effort to keep it from straying for too long.

By the end of the night, as the guests were slowly beginning to leave, and drinks were being finished off, watchful eyes caught his object of focus slipping from the ballroom. It seemed he had been able to evade all other notice, and it was then that his goal became the same. His conversation tapered off and Dick said his goodnights. He excused himself, skillfully evading all others that seemed to have any intention of approaching. Bruce could handle the closing of the function, couldn’t he? It was his big party after all. They’d played their part..

Taking to the halls again, this time he was trying to figure out just what destination Tim would have chosen. Taking turns by instinct, he was pleased when he saw the smaller male just ahead. Judging by what he could see of his actions from behind, he was trying to loosen his tie. His shoulders had sagged a bit - they just weren’t quite as straight as they had been - and he swore he heard a sigh. He sounded tired, or just worn out. It was no surprise. These things were more emotionally taxing for them than others might expect. It always was when you were playing a role given to you, not truly being yourself.

Moving as silently and carefully as he would have if they were out on patrol, he quickened his pace in the slightest and caught up with ease. The pace Tim had been at had been relaxed and sluggish, and he’d left his guard down. This, Dick had not minded in the least. 

With a single, quick, and concise movement, his hand had grasped the young man’s wrist and tugged him back for arms to wrap around him. In that moment, he had seen Tim’s face switch between three different expressions; First he had seen him begin to turn on the Wayne persona again as if he had thought the person behind him would be a guest that he had to politely excuse himself from once more. Second, his brain had switched to understand that the grasp was unwelcome and too intimate even if it was a guest, and therefore he was ready to retaliate if necessary - his eyes had become stone cold and his body tense. But finally, he came to relax as he felt the familiar warmth and feel of the form that he was pressed to, and arms that now held him. His muscles lost the tenseness as he allowed himself to melt into the grasp, and his eyes had become much gentler. Even a small, comfortable smirk had paired itself to the expressed relaxation.

“So. You have been doing well.” He murmured as he turned his face to bury into Tim’s neck. 

This brought Tim to a confused curiosity. “What?”

“You’re the perfect Wayne, little brother.” Came the murmured response against his skin. He felt him shiver in his grasp.

“W-What? No.. I just… I know what they expect. I know what they want. It isn’t that hard. So as long as you keep potential investors happy, everything is fine.” He spoke about it so logically. But that was often the very thing that drove him - the logic that he had behind any action. He didn’t do things recklessly, he never had. He was always concerned about everyone around him and who would be affected in the outcome. 

For a moment, his grasp tightened around the young man he held in his arms and he pressed his lips to his neck. “I’d never seen you like that, though.” He felt him shrug.

“Like I said, I know who they expect. So, that’s the part I play. But it isn’t me.”

This time, Dick was the one who shrugged as he settled his chin on Tim’s shoulder and looked to meet his eyes. “That was quite the smile though. Everyone was all over you.” He was teasing him now. “You’re a heartbreaker.”

Yet, there was a twinge of jealous that rose in his gut as he spoke of his observations. He was trying so hard not to be the overprotective older brother and become overbearing.

It was working.

Watching the pale cheeks flush with color, Tim’s eyes shifted away from him and to the floor. 

This flustered response had been exactly what he was aiming for.

Releasing him, his hand returned to grasp his wrist as Dick tugged him into the nearest room. Ah, one of their many closets. He hadn’t paid any attention to what was in it, nor did he bother with turning on the light. His free hand had only busied itself with flipping the lock to the door - every room in this house had a lock - and press the smaller body against the wall at the back of the smaller room. Already he had thrown both of their suit jackets out of the way, and his hands were doing their best to make quick work of the buttons on his shirt. Tim had done him a service by already loosening that tie. It had been a matter of just a single tug and it, too, was on the floor. He was glad when the unbuttoned shirt joined it too.

Only a t-shirt remained between him and the heated skin he sought. With a swift tug of it over his head, it joined the other pieces of clothing, hands shooting to explore what was newly exposed. 

They hadn’t done a single thing yet, and both were already panting for the exhilaration of what was to come. But, Dick made good on what was long overdue, leaning down to capture lips that would soon be swollen, rosy, and bruised with loving “abuse” that he planned to express. Tonight had been too long. He had been forced to wait far too  _long_.

When they were finally forced to part, purely out of the necessity of continued breathing,  he kept his eyes trained to equally blue hues that seemed to be just as glued to him. Moving to attack his neck again - nipping, kissing, sucking - a semblance of a smirk remained on the very lips that were devoted to those tasks.

“Break all of their hearts, Tim.” He murmured breathily between each movement. 

“Break all of their hearts.. because you’ve got mine.” His hands were moving lower to rid the final articles of clothing that remained on him, all the time being careful, gentle, and so impatient.

“And I want you to keep it.”


End file.
